The Unadvertised Job Search Strategy

How do you strategize your job search?
Do you use:

• Classified ads
• Temp Services
• Employment agencies
• Word of mouth
• Word of mouse (searching online)

Congratulations. You have just joined the unwashed masses that are in your same situation and doing the same thing trying to find a job. The reason you are not standing out from the crowd getting noticed by employers is that you are not doing anything that makes you noticeable! You are just a nameless face among the score of other job seekers. Your job search so far has been cookie cutter.

Are you ready to try something different?

Step 1 - Info Gathering
In your industry, decide how wide you want your search to be. I counsel my clients to start local (5-10 mile radius) and search for every company in that area. Do your homework. Who is the Top Dog? This is the owner or CEO - NOT the HR department or manager. This is your first point of contact. If you need to broaden your search area, so be it, just use the 5-10 mile radius as a starting point.

Step 2 - Draft Cover Letters
I'm not talking about a generic intro cover letter, you need to personalize this directly to the owner/CEO.

Step 3 - CONTACT!
If you can locate an email address send the email with your resume attached. This might take a bit of doing if it isn't readily available so go to plan B - SNAIL MAIL with an enclosed resume. Better yet, pay the company a visit and drop your resume and cover letter off personally. If it is a relatively small company and the owner is present just quickly introduce yourself and hand him (or her) your resume and cover letter in an envelope addressed to them personally. The only conversation you should have is short and sweet, saying something along the lines of quickly introducing yourself and that you were in the area on another appointment and just wanted to drop your resume for him to review in hopes that there is a position available now or in the near future you can help fill.

If it is a larger company, a similar strategy can be used with the gate keeper but the envelope containing your resume would just have the CEO's name on it as opposed to company name and address.

Here is the effect this strategy will have. Once your resume is in the Top Dogs hands and there is another department or person that handles hiring new employee's, psychologically, your resume coming from the CEO will get more attention than one delivered by the mail carrier.

Think outside the box. It happens to be a highly competitive job market and job seekers MUST do things that separate them from the pack of other hungry job applicants.

Tomorrow we will discuss how including a short, 60 video link in your cover letter, increases your chance of being interviewed by 60%. Until then, get your resume critiqued by a professional and DO YOUR HOMEWORK about where and who you will be sending your polished resume to.

See How Difficult This Is?

People think that what I do is so easy that anyone can do it.

BULLSHIT I say!

It takes laser focus and incredible discipline to do what I do consistently and on a daily basis. There are duties that must be performed without fail to optimize success and it is extremely difficult to accomplish. Distractions get in the way...LIFE gets in the way. So how does one keep on keeping on?

I think the answer would be different for each of us, but the important thing to remember is NEVER EEEEEEEEVVVER give up. Failure cannot and will not be an option. Period! So how do you stay motivated when you - especially at the beginning - do things daily and not see immediate results?

Here are some tips that I use:

Schedule AND WRITE DOWN what must be done. My schedule includes walking Molly in the morning followed by a trip to the grocery store. This revolves around my "writers' duties of advertising, marketing, blog posts, social media (business and personal) and the actual writing part. The physical act of writing it, be it with pen to pad or keyboard and mouse, does something physiological that frees up space on the biological hard drive called the brain. Also, going back and reading what you have written several times during the day keeps the thoughts fresh in your mind. I dont know exactly why this works, I just know that it does.


One of my issues is that I need to commingle my duties to my personal life and my business life and at times the personal just takes control. This causes the guilt to set in so I have to struggle to accept and embrace the days events and tell myself that the work WILL get done and not to feel overwhelmed. So I guess my second tip would be to STOP FEELING GUILTY. Easier said than done I know, but I've always been hard on myself.

Blogging certainly helps. This post alone is putting things in the proper perspective in my head.

I think I need to get a white board and write down my daily duties. To ensure things get done. To hold myself accountable and to give those around me an idea of what I need to accomplish on any given day. I have a tendency to bottle stuff like that up and find myself getting angered when I cant focus.

I need to take time for learning and continued education. I need to communicate these things better to my family because what I do is just as important to them as it is to me.

So tomorrow we will get back into this process we started last week. We will continue to provide a service and education to the job seeker. We will help get people back to work again.

And we will embrace life for the magical mystical journey that it is, complete with all its wonderful distractions and OWN that shit.

Until tomorrow...

What Is Your Biggest Job Search Obstacle?

Over the years, I have heard many excuses for people not getting the success they want or believe they deserve from an opportunity. I have been known to use a few myself here and there.

"The opportunity wasn't really there." 

"The timing wasn't right."

"I just didn't fit with those people."
 
"I'm just not that lucky."

One B.S. excuse after another, heck I have even been creative in my excuses, but there comes a time when this behavior of self sabotage gets old. But what happens is that you have developed some bad habits that need to be broken AND FAST!

Here are some tips to guide you along the way.


1. Be disciplined. If you truly want to win the big game, you can't be sloppy.  You are competing against people who train and learn and practice. You need to be in control of your own destiny and that means being in control of your daily activity. Have your priorities figured out. If you don't know them, you'll be prone to distraction. If they're wrong, you'll get off track. Be able to focus the right amount of thought, energy, and activity on the actions that will get you close to your goal. Learn to focus and dismiss distraction when it's time to get to work.

And most importantly, learn how to rest. No one can work all the time without being exhausted. You need time to recharge if you are going to play at your best. Burn out is a poor excuse for failure.

2.  Be confident. I have battled my own share of insecurities. When you are blazing new trails, it's hard to be 100 percent assured, but you have the control. I was whining to a friend when I was younger that I decide to be confident." I did and have not looked back since. Confidence comes from preparation and a decisive state of mind.  When I am speaking and presenting, I feel most confident when I have done my research and have practiced my speech at least a dozen times in front of people. Give yourself what you know you need. Whether it is practice, prep time, food, sleep, or funds take away the material excuses so you can move forward without concern.

wished I were more confident.  He looked at me and said: "Kevin why don't you just

3. Be bold. Many people just stare on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity to drag them into success. Being timid brings very little value when chasing your dreams. You need to take action and jump two feet in. Be bold.

However, this does not mean be careless. You have to do your homework and analysis.  The most successful people have shown their boldness by waiting while everyone rushes an opportunity too early.  Study, prepare and assess, but know when it is time to stop analyzing, theorizing, practicing. Then make the decision to jump in or launch and just do it and do it big.

4. Be gracious. Graciousness is not just about being nice. It's also about being humble. True success and best served among friends and teammates who share in the glory and accomplishment.  Start getting out of your own way by admitting when you're lost, behind, or overwhelmed. Accept the greatest achievements come from the combined work and thought of many. Invite smart, energetic people into your journey and share the wealth and the credit along the way. Revel in their growth happiness and success, and they will celebrate yours.

As we head into the semi finals of the NFL playoffs take the time to review the foundation of your job search strategy and check out the packages available that provide valuable tools and can increase your chances of finding your ideal job. CLICK HERE!
Until tomorrow!

Time For Action!

Okay, we are now getting into the meat and potato's for your job search strategy. FINALLY! Right?

What we have done so far this week has set-up what we will be doing today in developing a comprehensive Plan of Action that we will bring our goals into the realm of reality. Let's review what we have come up with. First you have decided what you want in a job.

Before we go any further, I want you to notice the single most important word that will determine your success in your job search. Do you know which word that is? Did you find it?

The word is Decided. For you to be successful, the first item on your agenda is to simply Decide. Decide to be successful. This is the easy part though. Getting out of your way is the difficult part, and that is what we will discuss tomorrow.

Back to Step 1. What You Want. Brainstorm using pen and paper. I prefer this rawness over a keyboard. Get creative but MOST IMPORTANT is to be as finitely specific as possible, down to the smallest detail. Make it crystal clear in your mind. Pen to pad helps me do this.

Step 2 was to determine a time for your goals achievement. Using the same parameters you used as far as specificity.

Your final statement would look something like this:

"I will get a job as a Marketing Consultant, working with a Fortune 500 company earning $120,000 my first year. I will find this job within the next 30 days and be working by (whatever date 1 month away)"

Short. Simple. To the point.

But remember, this is just a point of your job search measuring stick. Using common sense you should realize you may be offered something a bit different and you might want to make small concessions.

Step 3. Organize Your Resources

What tools do you need to help you achieve your job search goal? Employment coach? Specific education? Maybe a personal makeover to more "look the part" if that's what you think. How about having a professional writer (Like ME!) polish and update your resume? Use the same techniques used in creating your goals and time frame.

JOB BOARDS! These are great resources and I'm not just thinking about the big guys like Monster or Career Builder. The smaller ones can produce results just as much.

NETWORKING. Social media is GREAT. Sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter can be quite helpful, but Social means SOCIAL and to me that means get out and meet some people. Face to face. Shake some hands, kiss some babies.

CLASSIFIED ADS - Craigslist is what it is (whatever that means), there's also indeed and scores of others online. Remember Google is your friend. Which bring me to...

GOOGLE ALERTS. This is a cool tool in that you can set it up to email you regularly target specific search that will bring you the latest posts for a certain subject (including job postings). The parameters can be set to pretty much anything you want.

What might be some other employment resources? Your only limitation is in your imagination.

Let me critique your resume for you. Better for me to make fun of it and not your prospective employer, right? Seriously, let me take a look at what you are handing to hiring managers. Let me suggest some enhancements that could possibly be the difference maker and get you that job you want. Check out my website www.dacapra.com.     

Legit Online Jobs

Your Job Search Goals

Are you looking for work? What is your current situation? Were you one of the thousands laid off over the last year and currently out of work? Or are you stuck in a rut thinking about a career change? Whatever your current situation setting SMART goals for a job search will help you find a new position.

How many times do I ask someone what type of job they are looking for and they respond with an "Anything" answer?

Does this seem like a good catch for an employer?

Is this a job seeker that has put forth any effort is painting themselves in a positive light?

This entire week of blog posts about How To Find a Job I have yet to mention any contact with any employer. It's all been prep work for now. Preparing the job seeker's mindset to compete in today s highly competitive job market and today we will talk about setting job search goals. Then we will discuss developing a plan of action to their achievement.

So first and foremost; what type of job are you looking for? What is your experience? What are your qualifications? Make a list of what your expectations are. WRITE IT DOWN! There is something magical about getting thoughts out of your head, through your arm and onto the paper. This gives life to your job search and will assist you tremendously when it comes time to develop your action plan that we will go into tomorrow. (Yes I write EVERY day) Dont even think about the process, just start writing. Dont worry about sounding stupid. YOU will be the only one seeing what you wrote. The important thing here is to brainstorm with yourself. Spend at least 10-15 minutes writing.

This should give you quite a substantial list. Now prioritize your list and condense it down to the top 3 things that are most important to you.

Lots of coaches and consultants use the SMART acronym to explain goal setting. Each one uses a slightly different set of criteria. In this case, S.M.A.R.T. refers to goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Framed.

Specific: Goals need to be something specific. Most of us have a ‘big picture’ idea of what we want to achieve. We say, for example, “I will find a new job” or “I want to change careers.” That’s not detailed enough. Saying, “I will redo my resume this month” is more precise. Now you have something specific to achieve.

Measurable: Goals need to be measurable. For example, when you’re out of work it’s important to expand your network. But, “making new contacts” is an ambiguous statement. A clearer objective is “I will attend four networking events each month and connect with one person at each.” Or “I will update my linkedin profile and add one new contact each week.” Those are simple, concrete goals that you can measure at the end of the week.

Achievable: Goals need to be reasonable and achievable. At one point or another, most of us have been unemployed. Looking for a job, particularly in this economy, isn’t easy. One of the biggest problems, aside from finding a job, is keeping your moral up. Setting achievable short-term goals that move you toward your long-term goal of finding a job will help you from becoming discouraged.
Setting a goal of finding a new job in one month, for example, might not be reasonable. However, applying to at least three companies each week is doable. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are out of reach.

Realistic: Goals need to be realistic. As someone who’s changed careers several times, I know it can be done. Within reason. While we can have a lot, we probably can’t have it all at the same time. It’s important to honestly evaluate yourself. Do you have the ability and commitment to make your dream come true? What if moving into a new career means going back to school? Can you work full-time and juggle classes in the evening? Be honest.

Time Framed: Goals need to have a time frame. Having a set amount of time will give your goals structure. If you’re out of work, your savings may dictate your time frame. You may only be able to be unemployed for six months. However, many of us want to change careers or start their own business. Some people spend a lot of time talking about what they want to do, someday. But, without an end date there is no sense of urgency, no reason to take any action today. Having a specific time frame gives you the impetus to get started. It also helps you monitor your progress.

So your final step would be to set a time frame for your goals attainment. Again, be realistic, taking into consideration the time you perceive it would take from submitting your resume, to the interview, to the hire.

Now look what you have. You have a clear and concise target and a window of time to make your dream a reality.

Tomorrow we develop the action plan. Until then, contact me for a comprehnsive review of your current resume. CLICK HERE to get started.

400,000+ Recruiters Looking for candidates like you!

Your Finances and You

We shouldn't go off half cocked in life. (I'm guilty of this too) We should have a plan with a destination in mind. Such as (using myself as an example) I want a house in the country on 20+ acres of land where I can live out the rest of my life with my loving wife and family.

Now, without a long lesson in goal setting, (that's tomorrow) I have a destination. Like a passenger jet flying the friendly skies, I need to follow my flight plan.

Cool right?

Now we take a look at what we must do to make it happen. To do this, we need to figure out where we are now. If you call me up and ask me how to get to my house, the first question I'm going to ask you is WHERE ARE YOU (and if there's a liquor store nearby)

What are my current finances? What are the resources available? What steps do I need to take to get there?

Now I know what you're thinking. What does this have to do with finding a job? The answer is: EVERYTHING! The picture this data creates will show you what type of job you need. (Part time/Full time/Contract work/Entrepreneurship) Most people get this part wrong. They do things completely opposite. Most people get a menial job first - maybe the first one that comes along - and they let the job dictate their position in life. Sound familiar?

For me, I need to live the laptop lifestyle of an Entrepreneur. For many different personal reasons. So this is where I focus
my job search. I look for writing gigs. I look for sales and marketing opportunities. I don't look for jobs as a Walmart greeter or anything that requires me to ask if you would like fries with your order because these types of job will not get me closer to my acreage. Make sense? Good. Let's continue.

Now let's figure out how much money we need to earn. Obviously, a minimum wage position, or even a slightly higher pay rate just will not work for me. I need SERIOUS income. So how much do I need to make? This answer will vary from person to person of course, but for the sake of this article, let's just say I need to bring home $1,000 per week. Using a process of elimination, I can narrow my search down to specific jobs to focus my search on.

So just change your mindset. Getting stuck in a job that sucks the life out of you and pays just enough to get by is why most of the working class population DESPISE their job and HATE getting up in the morning. Ask yourself what's important to you? Is your job meeting this need or are you falling short? The choice is yours.

Our next step will be goal setting and that will be happening tomorrow. This step, done properly, will make your dreams come to life, so today...RIGHT NOW give some thought about your dream job. What do you need to do to put it all together? You can always bounce your ideas off of me. Visit my website www.dacapra.com and get in contact with me. We can do this together.

 

LinkedIn and Your Job Search

Your LinkedIn profile is one of the first things that a potential employer sees. Your job search should start by refreshing your profile along with your resume.

It's important to note that LinkedIn has reached a point where it's almost unprofessional not to be on LinkedIn. There are members from all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn members comprise hundreds different industries, and include thousands of hiring managers, recruiters and employers that are seeking someone with your qualifications. Take a few minutes to search LinkedIn and I'm sure you'll find lots of contacts from your current and prior employers, clients, vendors, and schools. All those contacts have the potential to help you grow your career or find a new job.

With over 350 million members, LinkedIn is the most "grown-up" and professional of the social media network venues currently available. According to the JobVite recruiter survey, the use of social media for recruiting has been expanding, and the trend is expected to continue. LinkedIn is clearly in the lead in many ways.

Hiring: When it comes to hiring, 78% of recruiters have hired through a social network, and the leading network for hiring is LinkedIn by a very wide margin. While 92% of recruiters have hired through LinkedIn, only 24% have hired through Facebook, and 14% have hired through Twitter.

Recruiting: Most of the 94% of recruiters who use social networks for recruiting will be using LinkedIn, and the preference for LinkedIn is significant with 94% of the "social" recruiters using it vs. 65% of social recruiters using Facebook and 55% of social recruiters using Twitter.

LinkedIn is the most popular site for recruiters by far, as the data below reveals. Of the social recruiters, LinkedIn clearly dominates in key uses, according to a recent JobVite survey:

• 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates.
• 95% use LinkedIn to contact candidates
• 93% use LinkedIn to "keep tabs on" potential candidates.
• 93% use LinkedIn to "vet candidates pre-interview" (vs. 32% on Facebook and 18% on Twitter).
• 92% posted jobs on LinkedIn (vs. 48% on Facebook and 39% on Twitter).

Recruiters indicated that they checked a candidates LinkedIn Profile for:

• Profesional experience
• Length of professional tenure
• Specific hard skills

So, investing time in learning how to leverage social media for your job search, and to leverage LinkedIn, in particular, will be time well spent for you.

The world of job hunting is changing dramatically right now, primarily because of social media.  If you haven't been paying attention to social media, and particularly to LinkedIn, you have some catching up to do. You cannot afford to ignore LinkedIn today.

Tomorrow we will be discussing the importance of your finances and knowing where you stand. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step but to know where you are going, you must figure out exactly where you are.

Until then, take time out to update or establish a quality LinkedIn profile before you begin your job search. Visit my website www.dacapra.com for details on how I can help you design an eye catching LinkedIn profile.

Your Step-By-Step Job Search

In one's quest for gainful employment, be it a new job or just a job to begin with, it is imperative to the success of your efforts to include a detailed plan of action to maximize your results. In this blog series, we will guide you using goals and milestones that will walk you to the promised land.

Today we begin at the beginning, coincidentally sub-titled Step 1 - Map Your Current Desired Career Path. If you want a job making money and doing good you have to embrace the notion that you won’t get there in a straight line. There will be hurdles to jump and speed bumps along the way. Careers today no longer follow linear trajectories that take you from graduation, to internship to employment up the ranks.

Make a list of past successes (relationships, people, jobs, or experiences that brought you to where you are today)   

Create a map with your past milestones and successes. Connect them chronologically, making note of the impact they had on your state of mind at the time. Draw your map on a white board, a large piece of paper or your computer.

Pick two random points and try to add in five more milestones, people, or experiences that got you from one step to the next.

Choose a different pen color and note your emotions throughout the map. How did you feel before and after you got your last job? When did you last feel overwhelmed or totally satisfied? 

Review your map. Take note of patterns, industries, themes, and clues that could inform your next step.

Ask yourself: What do I want to repeat? Do differently? Learn from this?  What industries or jobs emerge that may have been hiding in your peripheral vision?|
(http://50waystogetajob.com/mission/map-your-non-linear-career-path)

Be careful because you don't want to overthink your plan, but you do want it to be well thought out. (Confused yet?) Don't worry. It's as clear as mud. The bottom line is in today's highly competitive job market, you need to think outside the box to give you an edge over other job seekers.

But I get it. You’re stuck. You don’t know what you want to do next and it’s blocking you from finding a job.
Well, you know what? There are ways to figure it out. Time to get over that hurdle and move into job-search mode and into the active pursuit of your next career chapter.

Here are some motivating principles for you:

• It’s not a life sentence. Your next move is not a life sentence. You can try something new — and if you don’t like it, you can re-group later. Oh, and don’t focus on five-year goals or what you want to do in 10 years. Just think about what you like and don’t like for your next gig.
• You’ll never be sure. You’ll never be 100 percent sure it’s the right move until you’ve been in your next role for at least two years. And give it that much time. Year 1 is just learning. Year 2 is when you can really make an impact and gauge if you are satisfied.
• You’re not alone. There are many people in the same boat. Will you be the one who picks something and gets off the boat? Or will you be the one who sits in the boat using the same old, “I-don’t-know-what-I-want” excuse for not looking for a job?
• You’ve got plenty of choices. Look at the process of picking your next career move as if it were a shopping experience. You get to “window shop” at multiple opportunities, and then pick a few career targets for your next experience to “try on.”
• You can make two. It’s OK to have two job search goals. I don’t recommend more than that. One of my clients is aiming at two quite different career changes — one as an information technology (IT) applications specialist and the other as a customer-facing consultant. They are very different, and we are separating his search efforts by these two goals. He is applying to positions in both and we’ll see where he lands soon.
• ALWAYS Have a Plan B.Do I really have to explain this one?
  (http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/human-resources/2014/01/up-against-a-career-block.html?page=all)

How do you know when you are there?

You’re on track when you can fill in the following blanks:
I am looking for a <function> position in the <industry> or <industry> in <city>.
Example: I am looking for a customer service job in the banking or consumer goods industries in Minneapolis.

Now you can start searching with a lot more confidence, conviction and energy!

 So be prepared to jump through some hoops and tap dance for attention. It's tough out there. Not like it was 30 years ago. Back then people were farting through jobs on a regular basis. Recruiters and hiring managers now have the luxury of being able to be more selective and (IMHO) have complicated matters and holds a lot of the responsibility in people being unemployed.

Be sure to check in tomorrow, when we will be discussing the importance and impact social media - ESPECIALLY LinkedIn have in a job seekers success. In the meantime, why not send me your resume for a FREE critique? I will give you my professional opinion and what's good and bad about it. Maybe make some suggestions on how we can improve it and further help in your job search.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/grs7cyq  for your critique. I will send you my findings within 48 hours.